// insights

Insights

Growth marketing, AI, paid media and measurement. Page 2 of 11.

Keep following the signal.

Earlier notes on the decisions behind marketing, search and AI. Use the guide for a starting point, or explore the articles in this part of the archive.

Explore this page
On this pageStart with a question

Three useful places to begin, depending on the decision in front of you.

Independent by designinsights
AI Mode Model Selection Just Made Your Search Result a Moving Target
7 min read

AI Mode Model Selection Just Made Your Search Result a Moving Target

AI Mode model selection lets searchers pick the Gemini model that writes your answer. Here is what it breaks in your GEO reporting and how to control for it.

AI ModeGEOSEO measurement
read ›
The Google Ads AI Max Auto-Upgrade Is Live: What It Flips On and What It Breaks
6 min read

The Google Ads AI Max Auto-Upgrade Is Live: What It Flips On and What It Breaks

The Google Ads AI Max auto-upgrade runs all September 2026. Here is what it turns on by default, the landing page data join it breaks, and how to keep control.

Paid SearchGoogle AdsAI Search
read ›
AI Mode Price Tracking Turns Search Into a Standing Watch on Your Prices
7 min read

AI Mode Price Tracking Turns Search Into a Standing Watch on Your Prices

AI Mode price tracking means Google now watches your fares and rates and emails buyers when they move. Here is what that shift changes for travel and retail.

AI SearchEcommerce SEOGEO
read ›
The August 2026 Spam Update Just Closed: Your Clean-Read Recovery Window Is Open
7 min read

The August 2026 Spam Update Just Closed: Your Clean-Read Recovery Window Is Open

The August 2026 spam update finished rolling out. Here is how to run an honest recovery read, separate spam signals from AI volatility, and act.

SEOGoogle algorithm updatesAI search
read ›
Google Preferred Sources Just Became an AI Search Lever You Actually Control
7 min read

Google Preferred Sources Just Became an AI Search Lever You Actually Control

Google Preferred Sources now feeds AI Overviews and AI Mode. Here is why this opt-in visibility lever matters and the STAR method to earn reader selections.

AI SearchGEOAudience
read ›
Your Best Search Real Estate Now Sits on Domains You Do Not Own
6 min read

Your Best Search Real Estate Now Sits on Domains You Do Not Own

Search Console platform properties finally show how your Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube content gets found in Google Search and Discover. Here is how to use it.

SEOSearch ConsoleSocial Search
read ›
The Agent Checks Out Now: What the Agentic Commerce Protocol Does to Your Feed
6 min read

The Agent Checks Out Now: What the Agentic Commerce Protocol Does to Your Feed

The Agentic Commerce Protocol lets AI agents buy and pay on their own. Here is what your product feed must do to stay in the transaction, not the answer.

agentic commerceecommerce SEOgenerative search
read ›
AI Mode Is the Default Now: The 30-Day Readiness Audit
7 min read

AI Mode Is the Default Now: The 30-Day Readiness Audit

On July 10 Google made AI Mode the global default. Here is a practical AI Mode default readiness audit: what to fix, what to measure, and what to ignore first.

AI searchGEOSEO strategy
read ›
Connected Apps in AI Mode: When Search Acts Inside Software You Do Not Own
7 min read

Connected Apps in AI Mode: When Search Acts Inside Software You Do Not Own

Connected apps in AI Mode turn search into task completion inside Instacart, Canva, and YouTube. Here is what changes for brands and how to stay in the answer.

AI SearchGenerative SearchSEO Strategy
read ›

// contact

Open a channel

Not taking on new clients right now, focused on the work in front of me. The best way to connect is LinkedIn, or a warm introduction from someone I already work with.

Carroll Consulting is the business entity behind my independent work.

connect on linkedin ↗NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS